Raptors Republic: ESPN TrueHoop Network Blog » carlos delfinohttp://www.raptorsrepublic.com
Toronto Raptors news, statistics, analysis, podcasts, post-game reports, highlights, and GIFs.Tue, 31 Mar 2015 12:45:50 +0000en-UShourly1Gameday: Raptors vs Bucks – Mar. 30/11http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2011/03/30/gameday-raptors-vs-bucks-mar-3011/
http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2011/03/30/gameday-raptors-vs-bucks-mar-3011/#commentsWed, 30 Mar 2011 13:33:58 +0000http://raptorsrepublic.com/?p=24693Raise your hands if you had a big ear-to-ear grin on your face after reading the rumours that Colangelo would be open to trading Bargnani if re-signed. Even though the article was pure BS, and the Knicks clearly need someone to spread the floor like Galinari did, it was great to see that written in... Read more »

Raise your hands if you had a big ear-to-ear grin on your face after reading the rumours that Colangelo would be open to trading Bargnani if re-signed. Even though the article was pure BS, and the Knicks clearly need someone to spread the floor like Galinari did, it was great to see that written in a traditional media site since all us bloggers have been screaming for this for about 3 years now.

Still, there is no one on the Knicks that I’d want that they would be willing to trade, plus I don’t want Bargnani going to a division rival; call me old fashion but if he does turn the corner and fills out his all-around game, I really don’t want to play against him four times a year.

You recently wrote about Salmons’ struggles this season after getting a massive contract for carrying the team in the second half of last season. For those who haven’t read the article, whats been the contributing factor to the massive regression, and is there hope of salvaging him going forward?
What I focused on in that piece was Salmons’ struggles late in games. Last season the Bucks could turn to Salmons when their offense broke down late in games and he would bail them out. This season, Salmons has just been part of the problem. He wasn’t overwhelmingly athletic last season and he seems to have lost a step this season, possibly due to an early season knee injury. Maybe he’s just having a bad year, one in which his shots just won’t fall. If he can hit the shots he was hitting last season once again, he can be salvaged. But he’s never going to get to the hoop and finish with ease or consistently. That’s not ideal for a leading scorer type.

Injuries have clearly ravaged this team, and so far have seemingly cost them a playoff birth this season. How difficult is it building with Bogut as a (the?) core piece when he hasn’t played more than 70 games in the last 4 seasons? Is it time to move him and bring in someone who is a bit more solid? (His migraines have been killing my fantasy team this year; sorry, had to bitch)
It has been frustrating, but it’s hard to blame the guy too much. The injuries have seemed flukey enough that every year there’s some hope that they won’t be a problem going forward. Obviously last season’s fall and elbow injury carried over more than most expected this season, but he’ll likely be feeling better by next season. Given the injuries everyone else on this team had this season, it’s hard to spend too much time bemoaning Bogut’s. He’s so good defensively though and means so much to the team in that regard that it’s hard to envision moving him and getting equal value, especially since his offense is so inconsistent.

After Redd comes off the books this year, almost half the team’s payroll will be locked up between Maggette, Salmons and Gooden (all of whom will be tough to move). What moves do the Bucks have to improve this lot in the summer?
There won’t be a lot of money available, but bet that Milwaukee will be listening to offers regarding Maggette. Maybe once everyone can get healthy and the team gets more time to gel, he’ll find his place and get consistent minutes, but Coach Scott Skiles hasn’t trusted him a bit down the stretch. Maggette has eight DNP-CDs this month. Milwaukee needs an athletic scorer that can shoot and pass the ball. But what team doesn’t want that?

How much does Redd really have left in the tank? Could we hope to see a Grant Hill like rebirth in a different situation, or is he done?
The difference between Redd and Hill is pretty significant. Hill always was great in terms of awareness and passing the ball, whereas Redd’s always been a volume scorer. Perhaps Redd can still score a bit off a team’s bench, but he isn’t the shooter he once was. We’d need to see a pretty significant transformation in Redd’s game for him to stick around much longer, but he hasn’t put in all the work he’s put in for no reason. He’s going to give it a go and he’ll be on a roster next season. That will be his chance to prove he can contribute.

Can you talk about Brandon Jennings’ development this season?
It’s been difficult, since he missed a large portion of the season with a broken foot. Then it took him a good 10 games or so after returning to get his feel back it seemed. But he’s been better this month, shooting better than 40% for a month for the first time since his first month in the NBA. If he ever can get it together and start to hit around 43 or 44 percent of his shots consistently, he’ll be perfect for Milwaukee. He’s not there yet, but he has improved a bit this year.

I was never a Scott Skiles fan, as a player or a coach, so this might come off as a stupid question; but what’s your assessment of him, and how much longer does he have behind the bench in Milwaukee?
Skiles makes a pretty good chunk of change and earned an extension based on his work the last two years. Coaching in a small market for a team that’s bleeding money is going to work to his advantage. This season will probably get thrown out due to the injuries, so don’t expect anything crazy to happen any time soon. He’s safe. Especially since this team is still top five in defensive efficiency, despite all the offensive mishaps. He’s kept this team together, which is commendable given their problems making shots.

Injury Report

Toronto
Linas Kleiza – Out
Amir Johnson – the guy is hurting, let the man rest
Andrea Bargnani – day to day
Jose Calderon – day to day
Reggie Evans – day to day
Leandro Barbosa – day to day

Milwaukee
Ersan Ilyasova – day to day
Michael Redd – day to day

Not much time this morning, so I wont go into the individual players, just talk about a couple key match-ups:

Bargnani vs Bogut
After we did our fantasy team draft, I was really short on size and had zero shot blocking. I tried to pry away Bogut from one of the guys in the league, and he started asking about Chris Paul from my side. The trade grew into me sending Chris Paul and Wilson Chandler to him for Andrew Bogut and Blake Griffin. I clearly won that trade looking back at it, but no one thought Griffin would be a fantasy beast like he is. Anyways, if not for Bogut’s poor shooting form the field/line, he has been a great pick-up. The guy can be counted on for points in the paint, rebounds and bock shots, every single game. Very much a steadying force, and if he didn’t have so many injury issues, I would have no issues of him as a core piece. Against the Bobcats a couple nights ago, he did 26pts 9rebs 2blk; I’m expecting the same from tonight. Bargnani has a chance to light it up a bit since Bogut can’t cover him on the perimeter, and Gooden/Sanders/Mbah a Moute can’t cover him in the paint. i’d like to see Andrea take some defensive queue’s from Bogut, especially his defensive positioning.

Bargnani could be injured, and is listed as day-to-day, so if he doesn’t go, expect lots of switch-ups and zone to try to contain Bogut…not that it will do anything…

DeRozan vs Salmons
It’s feast or famine with Salmons who’s either hitting his stride offensively or building a brick house. The Bucks are a great defensive team, bout the only thing Skiles has done right – hate that mother ______, so getting to the rim will be tough for DeRozan (and everyone else) on a consistent basis. Fast breaks will be few and far between, and the defensive rotations will be on the ball. A key for DeMar will be drawing contact, and getting to the line 8+ times tonight. Have to challenge Bogut in the paint, and get him into foul trouble, it’s the only way.

Much like the Heat game where the Raptors welcomed Mike Miller by handing him the best game of the season, the same could be said of the Bucks. Redd has been out for the last 5 years, and can use the Raptors lax defense to get into a mini-groove. I don’t think that he will, but Salmons will definitely feast on us a bit.

The Line

There’s no line on the game (at time of publishing), but consider a few things:

Raptors are home after losing their last four games on the road, most of them badly

Raptors are 3-7 in their last 10 games (1-4 over their last 5)

Milwaukee is 4-6 in their last 10, having lost 2 in a row

Milwaukee is 3 games out of 8th with 9 games to go

The Bucks have owned the Raptors in both games they have played this year

If the Raptors weren’t such a question mark in the injury department, this would be a competitive game. The Bucks want to get into the playoffs, and if they did, who do you think the Bulls would rather play: them or the Pacers? Even though this season has hit the wall (a long time ago), they can still affect other teams playoff positioning; and I have to believe that there is still some iota of pride left in this lot.

Let me leave you with this question: would you trade Andrea Bargnani for Andrew Bogut straight up? If Bargs wasn’t a BYC player this year it would work in trade machine.

]]>http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2011/03/30/gameday-raptors-vs-bucks-mar-3011/feed/72Gameday: Raptors vs Bucks – Jan. 22/10http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2010/01/22/gameday-raptors-vs-bucks-jan-2210/
http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2010/01/22/gameday-raptors-vs-bucks-jan-2210/#commentsFri, 22 Jan 2010 13:11:01 +0000http://raptorsrepublic.com/?p=14344Wednesday was the second time we lost to the Bucks this season. It is key we realize that we lost the season series with a team that probably wont make the playoffs. Regardless of whether or not we win tonight, one or possibly two of these losses the Bucks handed us could come back to... Read more »

Wednesday was the second time we lost to the Bucks this season. It is key we realize that we lost the season series with a team that probably wont make the playoffs. Regardless of whether or not we win tonight, one or possibly two of these losses the Bucks handed us could come back to bite us in the rear come playoff time. With the race for 5th so tight, a game can really make the difference come game 82. Look at the standings now, we trail the Bobcats by a game and a half and have played 3 more games (and have 3 more losses). Just a week ago, we were sitting a half game out of 5th.

The Raptors WASTED a career game by Chris, the guy who played the most minutes the night before in Cleveland (42 minutes). To blame this loss on Bosh is ridiculous, I seriously don’t understand where some idiots get off throwing the franchise under the bus. Just a small glimpse of what went down:

Points

Bosh 44

Starters 31

Bench 32

Field Goals

Bosh 15-26 FGM-A

Starters 13-41 FGM-A

Bench 10-19 FGM-A

Free Throws

Bosh 14-15 FTM-A

Starters 1-1 FTM-A

Bench 11-11 FTM-A

Rebounds

Bosh 12

Starters 10

Bench 14

Assists

Bosh 4

Starters 11

Bench 5

I’m not trying to recap the game, Arse did a great job yesterday, just want to point out that if the starters had shown up, just a little bit, and either hit a couple more shots, or conceded their shot to Bosh, the Raptors would have won. Or, if Triano actually attempted to coach, and shuffled the lineups with proper substitutions, a loss could have been avoided, plain and simple.

Tonight, we need to do a couple things:

Triano needs to give Turkoglu a quick yank when he is stinking it up. Between the 3 of Weems, Belinelli and Wright, I am confident the offense can be made up. The passing not so much, but that’s what Calderon is for. Can’t afford another 5-14 shooting night from Chewy…err, I mean Hedo.

I’m confident Bargnani will bounce back tonight, but there is no harm in playing Rasho a bit, jut a bit. Expect Bogut to put up the same offensive numbers if we go with a Bargnani/Johnson duo on him. Throwing Rasho in the mix will give Triano another 6 fouls to throw at Bogut, not to mention some guy who plays low post defense pretty damn well.

Playing Rasho a bit more will also protect the defensive glass, where the Raptors allowed 17 offensive rebounds to the Bucks on Wednesday. Yea, you keep giving a team a second, third….seventeen extra chances to score, they will. Wasn’t even the Bucks bigs who killed it on the boards, their wings pulled down 9. Gotta have pride guys.

Another benefit of the quick yank on Turkoglu would be to put someone on Delfino who can actually play defense. It’s not bad enough that Hedo can’t shoot, pass or rebound, but he let Carlos drop 22/8/4. Speaking of Delfino, had we kept him, for a third of the cost, he would be giving us 9.2pts 4.5rebs 2.2ast compared to Hedo’s 12.7pts 4.5rebs 4.5ast. The points and assists could easily be made up by getting Bosh/Bargnani a couple more shots, and playing Calderon a few more minutes. What hurts the most is that his last year isn’t even a team option #smh

The gamblers have the Raptors as 7.5 point favourites, and I think you take that line. This game should be a double-digit win if Jah loves us, or if Triano makes like a coach and Hedo makes like a $10mil/year player. Join us tonight for Raptor Fan Friday’s at the Sports Centre Cafe.

]]>http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2010/01/22/gameday-raptors-vs-bucks-jan-2210/feed/78Gameday: Raptors vs Bucks – Jan. 20/10http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2010/01/20/gameday-raptors-vs-bucks-jan-2010/
http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2010/01/20/gameday-raptors-vs-bucks-jan-2010/#commentsWed, 20 Jan 2010 19:05:49 +0000http://raptorsrepublic.com/?p=14267It all just fell apart in the 4th quarter last night in Cleveland, with the Cavs exacting a bit of revenge on the Raptors from that loss they suffered at our hands earlier in the season. Tonight, the Raptors roll into the Bradley Center on the first game of a home-and-home with the Bucks. In... Read more »

]]>It all just fell apart in the 4th quarter last night in Cleveland, with the Cavs exacting a bit of revenge on the Raptors from that loss they suffered at our hands earlier in the season. Tonight, the Raptors roll into the Bradley Center on the first game of a home-and-home with the Bucks. In the podcast, I had picked the Raptors to 1-3 this week, with the only win against the Bucks Friday at the ACC. After watching the game last night in Cleveland, I’m not so sure anymore, but I’m not fully swayed.

The Raptors were able to stay in the game, until half-way into the 4th, by taking advantage of the Cavs turnovers. On 16 Cleveland turnovers, the Raptors scored 19 – compared to allowing only 11pts on 11 turnovers. I find comfort in this knowing that we play a team that has a young point guard who turns the ball over 2.74 times a game (3.7 in the last 10). With the way the Raptors have been pressuring on the perimeter over the last few games, this could prove to be an encouraging point of focus. Mind you, the Bucks as a team, protect the ball very well committing only 13.5 turnovers a game, but it all starts with Jennings for them.

The last time we played the Bucks we were playing sans Calderon and Bargnani. Playing without Bargnani extremely hurt since there was nobody on the perimeter who could knock down a freaking jumper. The Bucks are a very good defensive team at defending the three, where they allow a stingy 34.4% (10th best in the association) from behind the arc. You have to think that long jumpers would be similar since they are great at closing out on shooters. With Bargnani’s ability to put the ball on the court and take a few steps in, that could open up a lot of space.

Calderon’s loss meant that Luke Ridnour was able to run amok around the court, and a motivated Ukic had his way. This was before Banks was a difference maker on defense (it seemed as though as soon as he said it, he lived it; interesting…). While I don’t think Jose could stop either Ridnour or Ukic, he would have forced them to man him up on defense, and at least tire them out some, unlike what Banks did (nothing at all).

While the Bucks front court is nice (Bogut has been a God-send for me in one of my fantasy leagues), they don’t have the guns to beat a Bosh/Bargnani tandem. Over the last few games, they have really come together, and have a wicked hi-low post thing going on. Fortunately for the Bucks, Bosh and Bargnani played 42 and 37 minutes respectively which historically has meant they both will be a step slower.

Not sure what happened to DeRozan in the 2nd half of the Cavs game given how well he played in the 1st, but with his improved mid-range game, and relatively fresh feet, he could be an important piece to pace the Raptors early while they find that Zen spot to play through the pain. Belinelli too. He took a few bad shots at really bad points in the 4th, but he has the chops to attack the paint when folks close out on him, which the Bucks will. Again, these two wont be the keys to the game, but they can provide some spark off the bench to open up some space for Bosh, Bargnani, Jose and even Chewy Hedo to operate.

The gamblers have the line at Bucks -2.5, which isn’t very encouraging for the home side considering the visitors were battling in Cleveland the night before. If the Raptors can control the paint, Jose plays how he did against Dallas, and Bargnani gets looks in the fourth, then the Raptors should win this. I wont hold my breath though. Sorry, but this is the second night of a back-to-back.

]]>http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2010/01/20/gameday-raptors-vs-bucks-jan-2010/feed/29From The Land Of The Buckshttp://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/10/08/from-the-land-of-the-bucks/
http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/10/08/from-the-land-of-the-bucks/#commentsThu, 08 Oct 2009 21:04:17 +0000http://raptorsrepublic.com/2009/10/08/from-the-land-of-the-bucks/Hitting up another of our TrueHoop partners for a look at the upcoming season. This time we hit up a city that is on my short list of places to visit: Milwaukee. These guys have the best name for a fan site: Bucksketball and those of you with a Rudolph fetish might enjoy their banner.... Read more »

Hitting up another of our TrueHoop partners for a look at the upcoming season. This time we hit up a city that is on my short list of places to visit: Milwaukee. These guys have the best name for a fan site: Bucksketball and those of you with a Rudolph fetish might enjoy their banner.

Last season we beat them in their home gym to go 3-0 on the young season and everything was coming up roses. Then, early in the new year we sucked eggs during one game and Bosh thought the ball had the cooties the next time we faced them. Marion arrived and we kicked their asses in the second game of our glorious 6 game win streak. So, a split.

Predicted starting 5:

For the love of god I hope Brandon Jennings is the starting point guard and not Luke Ridnour. But, I’m not optimistic. Ridnour/Redd/Delfino/Warrick/Bogut (fingers crossed on Bogut, hoping he’s over the injury by opening night.

Best offensive player:

For all the problems people have with Redd, he’s still the Bucks most efficient scorer, and it’s not even close. Offense, for the first time in about twenty years, will be the Bucks biggest problem.

Best defensive player:

Andrew Bogut is the team’s defensive heartbeat. If he’s in, they can control the glass and hold their own against most big men. If he’s not, then Dan Gadzuric and Francisco Elson are in charge. If we could somehow combine them into one man they might have the girth to stand up to centers in the NBA, but alone they are too small to deal with the pounding for more than 15 minutes each.

Best new player:

Jennings is the man everyone wants to see. He’s already close to Redd as the Bucks most recognizable player, and judging from his strong summer league performance, he’s closing in on being their most important player on the court too.

Player that will be missed:

Richard Jefferson wasn’t all that pretty on the court, but he delivered offense when Redd and Bogut were out. He also at least was a body on defense, which is more than can be said about Charlie Villanueva. As much as I liked Charlie V. from January on last year, Jefferson’s absence will be most notable.

Weakest link in your top 8 rotation players:

The small forward position provides virtually no offense. Fans still don’t know what to make of Joe Alexander, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is a terrific defensive player that can fill in anywhere, but offers little in the form of offensive capabilities and Carlos Delfino has been underwhelming in his previous few years in the NBA.

greatest weakness as a team:

Offense. Where will it come from if Redd cannot round into form after ACL surgery last season?

Biggest question heading into the season:

Can Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd stay healthy and improve on last year’s record?

If I was GM for a day, I would…

Have kept Ramon Sessions.

Your opinion of the Raptors:

If the Raptors have finally shored up their swingman position they could make some playoff noise. I’m just not sure that Hedo Turkoglu and Demar Derozan qualify as "shoring up" the position.

If you had to assign a "movie title" to your expectations of the season, what would it be?:

]]>http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/10/08/from-the-land-of-the-bucks/feed/11Secondary Effects of Johnson Additionhttp://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/08/19/secondary-effects-of-johnson-addition/
http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/08/19/secondary-effects-of-johnson-addition/#commentsWed, 19 Aug 2009 11:32:10 +0000http://raptorsrepublic.com/?p=10271Bryan Colangelo was at it again on Monday, sign-and-trading Carlos Delfino (with Roko Ukic) to the Milwaukee Bucks for Amir Johnson and Sonny Weems. Quickly, my thoughts are as such: the Raptors and Delfino couldn’t close the financial gap in contract talks, so the Raptors did what they could to get something out of their... Read more »

Bryan Colangelo was at it again on Monday, sign-and-trading Carlos Delfino (with Roko Ukic) to the Milwaukee Bucks for Amir Johnson and Sonny Weems.

Quickly, my thoughts are as such: the Raptors and Delfino couldn’t close the financial gap in contract talks, so the Raptors did what they could to get something out of their restricted hold on ‘Loso. It sounds like fans have more of a problem giving up Ukic than Delfino in the deal, which I appreciate, but without retooling his shot and making serious strides with his court vision and leadership, Ukic wasn’t going to get any run behind Jarrett Jack and Jose Calderon anytime soon. It always hurts to lose a young player with potential, but he no longer had a place on the Raptors and may get a chance in Milwaukee.

In Johnson, the Raptors get another tough big man to pair with Reggie Evans and Rasho Nesterovic as the substitution platoon. Despite not living up to his potential (allegedly) in Detroit, Johnson is still just 22 years old and has fairly large upside as a shot blocker and post defender. I’m a big fan, personally, and his toughness is a welcome addition. He’s also stronger offensively than Evans, providing a little more versatility in the rotation.

At the same time, as Raps Fan outlines, DeMar DeRozan is thrust into a bigger role. Essentially, losing Delfino (our supposed backup-SF) for another big pushes Antoine Wright into more SF minutes, leaving more minutes open at SG for DeRozan (or possibly, minutes for DeRozan at SF).

So I guess those were my not-so-quick thoughts on the deal. I like it, I love Johnson, and this is another Colangelo special.

What really sticks out to me looking at the new roster, though, is how the first and second units contrast pretty obviously in terms of style.

The first unit (which I am considering to be Calderon, DeRozan, Hedo Turkoglu, Chris Bosh, and Andrea Bargnani…seems a fair assumption except for possibly DeRozan) is a flashy, floor-spacing, offensive-minded group. Everyone is capable of creating their own shot, moving the ball, and to a person they all have some defensive limitations. This is a group that should be among the most exciting, offensively-explosive sets of five in basketball, with the question being whether they can defend well enough together to keep their opponents from scoring in equally large chunks.

The second unit (some combination of Jack, Marco Belinelli, Antoine Wright, Johnson, Evans, and Nesterovic) is much less gifted offensively. Belinelli can shoot, Jack is a strong point guard, and the others (save for Evans) all have some offensive skills. Still, for the most part this is a group that gets by on toughness and defense, Belinelli excluded. It should be a group that rebounds well, hustles hard, and defends to at least a league-average level.

The contrast between the two groups couldn’t be starker. Evans, Nestervoic, and Johnson all seem like the type of bigs that would complement Bosh and/or Bargnani well on the floor, while Wright makes up for the defensive deficiencies of DeRozan and/or Turkoglu.

Obviously, a key challenge for coach Jay Triano will be to mix and match the units as the game progresses to optimize the team’s performance. I think it’s fairly evident that running the second unit out as a whole for extended time could be troublesome offensively, while sticking with the first unit for long stretches late in games could leave the team prone to defensive collapses. So Triano, now given a much more plentiful roster of talent than in his 65 game trial last season, faces much more difficult personnel and lineup decisions.

While I won’t pretend to know how these units will shake down, I think having Demar DeRozan come off the bench has almost become a necessity. Such a move would afford DeRozan more opportunities to develop his offense and would improve the starting unit’s defense with the addition of either Jack or Wright. Obviously, the minutes a group spends together matters more than an actual starter/reserve designation, so I might be better off suggesting DeRozan spend more time with the subs than the starters.

Regardless of which direction Triano takes the team in terms of lineup shuffling, Colangelo’s offseason moves have created a roster environment where Triano has options, to say the least. Finding minutes and combinations for 11 players is a blessing and a curse, and finding the best five-man lineups will be something Triano is evaluated on all season long.

]]>http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/08/19/secondary-effects-of-johnson-addition/feed/79Morning Coffee Aug 18http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/08/18/morning-coffee-aug-18/
http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/08/18/morning-coffee-aug-18/#commentsTue, 18 Aug 2009 12:09:27 +0000http://raptorsrepublic.com/2009/08/18/morning-coffee-aug-18/Toronto Sun Milwaukee’s front office was intrigued by the potential of Johnson, 22, who was drafted by Detroit out of high school in 2005. Immediately after dealing Richard Jefferson to San Antonio for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto in June, the Bucks sent Oberto to Detroit for Johnson. Johnson became more expendable when... Read more »

Milwaukee’s front office was intrigued by the potential of Johnson, 22, who was drafted by Detroit out of high school in 2005. Immediately after dealing Richard Jefferson to San Antonio for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto in June, the Bucks sent Oberto to Detroit for Johnson.

Johnson became more expendable when the Bucks signed Hakim Warrick, a move that came after Memphis rescinded its qualifying offer to the restricted free agent.

The financial aspect of the deal will be felt at the end of next season.

Johnson has just one year and $3,666,667 (all figures U.S.) left on his contract while Ukic had an option for $1,450,000 in the 2010-11 season. Weems will make the league minimum of $736,420 next season with no guarantee beyond that.

And with the expectation that the salary cap and luxury tax thresholds will drop next season, any long-term savings will help to keep some kind of financial flexibility for Colangelo, team president and general manager.

But giving up on Ukic is a gamble, even for a Toronto team with a surfeit of point guards.

The deal cannot officially be completed until next week at the earliest because of contractual details and the never-simple machinations of the league’s collective bargaining agreement.

Since the deal brings two new players to Toronto while sending out just one – Delfino, who played in Russia last year but was not on the Raptors’ roster since the sides could not come to an agreement on a contract – the Raptors are now up to 15 players, the maximum allowed on an NBA roster.

And if Colangelo remains quiet until training camp kicks off in late September in Ottawa, he will have certainly deserved the break. His level of activity makes this off-season one of the most eventful in team history.

From a basketball standpoint, this deal would make a lot of sense for the Raptors. They have already brought in Antoine Wright, DeMar DeRozan, Marco Belinelli and Heod Turkoglu to be in the mix at the SG/ SF spot. Johnson would bring some needed depth up-front. The Raptors have already brought in bunch of new talent this off-season. Up-front, they have added Reggie Evans and Rasho Nesterovic to play with Bosh and Bargnani. Johnson could be the first forward off the bench there.

The 6-foot-6-inch Delfino is the key man in the trade for the Bucks, a player who can provide depth at small forward, still a major concern after the departure of veteran Richard Jefferson in a June 23 trade. That was the same deal that netted Johnson from the Detroit Pistons.

But the 6-9 Johnson became more expendable in the Bucks’ thinking after they signed free agent Hakim Warrick to a one-year, $3 million deal earlier this month. Warrick will have a chance to gain a starting spot at power forward.

The Bucks also are encouraged by the development of young power forward Ersan Ilyasova, who signed a three-year deal earlier this summer, and they have veteran Kurt Thomas to provide depth at power forward and center.

I honestly don’t know how Delfino will shake up the 2/3 rotation, as it’s very possible Delfino ends up getting burn at the 2 (more his natural position) and forces Bell or Meeks (sadly) out of the lineup. And while I’d throw Thomas in as the backup center for now, that’s mostly because I’m hoping to see a lot less of Elson and Gadzuric. Where does Joe Alexander fit in all of this? Who knows. He’ll still be fighting for minutes at the 3/4 spots, and with the lack of proven players at those positions he’ll certainly get a chance to play–it’s just a question of whether he can take advantage of it.

It’s not that Milwaukee made a bad deal, here. It’s just that Toronto made a very good one. Johnson and newly-acquired Reggie Evans will provide carom insurance that is badly needed on a team full of long rebound-creators, and as promising as Ukic looked at times, his bottom line just wasn’t worth Toronto’s time.

The deal doesn’t exactly guarantee 45 wins for either club, but it’s always nice to see sound moves created during the dog days of the offseason.

But even with the hockey-centric fans and the struggles they have had outside of the GTA, Calderon is staying upbeat, maintaining that he feels the support of the country.

“I see Raptors jerseys all over the world,” he said. “I think the other teams are just playing for a city but we play for a country. I feel a lot of support in Toronto. It’s true that hockey is the first sport in Canada, but we are working on that.”

]]>http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/08/18/morning-coffee-aug-18/feed/21Next Up: Amir Johnsonhttp://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/08/18/next-up-amir-johnson/
http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/08/18/next-up-amir-johnson/#commentsTue, 18 Aug 2009 11:53:27 +0000http://raptorsrepublic.com/?p=10264Ladies and gentlemen, the summer of doin’ work is officially over. BryCo, probably for the last time before the season starts, picked up the phone and turned nothing into something more then nothing…more or less. Amir Johnson (and some dude named Sonny Weems), of Detroit-Dumars fame, are the latest Raptors. The causalities: Roko “I hate... Read more »

Ladies and gentlemen, the summer of doin’ work is officially over. BryCo, probably for the last time before the season starts, picked up the phone and turned nothing into something more then nothing…more or less. Amir Johnson (and some dude named Sonny Weems), of Detroit-Dumars fame, are the latest Raptors. The causalities: Roko “I hate my life because I’m playing behind Douby” Ukic, and Carlos “$3mill euros a year can’t buy me happiness” Delfino.

By my count, that is 9 new players on this roster. NINE. Seriously, 60% of our roster was assembled during 6 weeks of whirlwind activity. Integrating them all while fielding a team with playoff designs will be a challenge to say the least. Triano sure has his work cutout for him, and if he fails, I can almost hear the excuses now: “he had 9 new players to work with…” I don’t know about y’all, but I’m freaking wiped out.

Why I like this deal:
His contract expires at the end of the year if he doesn’t work out, we get some cap relief (almost $4mil) for the Summer of Bosh. The Raptors get much deeper in the front court, which will help when we face Orlando, Cleveland and Boston who have all become bigger and stronger up front. Amir potentially becomes the best shot blocker. Probably the sweetest reason: we never have to see Patrick O’Bryant play another minute in a Raptor uniform.

Why I don’t like it:
We had an offer out to Pops which he would have probably signed because nobody else has any interest, so he could have been our 4th big (instead of Johnson and ahead of O’Bryant). It can be argued that the drop-off from Johnson to Pops wouldn’t be very significant. There is drop-off, don’t get me wrong, but when you are talking 5+ minutes a game (between Evans and Rasho, I don’t see the 4th big getting lots of burn), the drop-off wont be that significant and wont cost us games. While Antoine Wright can play the SF, he is far more effective at playing SG:

Offense:
SG PER = 10.7
SF PER = 9.0

Defense
SG = Opponent PER = 16.3
SF = Opponent PER = 18.0

Belinelli played zero percentage of the available minutes at the SF position for the Warriors last season, zero. We should stop talking about him as a backup SF, that’s all I’m saying. If we could have got Johnson for Delfino/Ukic, we could have gotten a lower tier SF who is a stopper on the perimeter, that’s all I’m saying.

Some quick thoughts on what this trade means:

We wont be getting that backup SF anymore, meaning that defensive stopper off the bench will have to be Wright or Belinelli…I’ll pause while you stop laugh at that last one

…DeRozan is assured a big role during his rookie campaign (I was hoping he would be eased in) from the get go

Belinelli will have a much larger role, regardless of his readiness

Joey Graham wont be coming back, but bizarro-Joey (Sunny Weems looks like a freaky Joey doesn’t he?) is more then capable of covering his uhhh…whatever he did on the bench

O’Bryant is now the 3rd big off the bench, which means if Pops signs that contract offer (didn’t know if that offer was rescinded at time of writing this article), he will probably be released, or bought out, or driven out to the bus station and handed a ticket to Iowa or something

People are super excited about this trade, we got 189 comments about it yesterday…man I love you guys.

I gotta say, I like this kid so far.

Oh, just in case you’re wondering why I didn’t say anything about Weems, I never heard of the guy until yesterday, and I expect him to be fighting with Douby for minutes. There, I said something.

]]>http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/08/18/next-up-amir-johnson/feed/196Developing: Who wants Carlos Delfino?http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/08/17/developing-who-wants-carlos-delfino/
http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/08/17/developing-who-wants-carlos-delfino/#commentsMon, 17 Aug 2009 15:54:57 +0000http://raptorsrepublic.com/2009/08/17/developing-who-wants-carlos-delfino/Our sources (which I trust implicitly) say it’s too early to confirm and there are 2-3 balls in the air. From our understanding, Doug Smith’s post about Roko & Carlos going to the Bucks for Amir + filler is closer to the truth than a straight up Carlos for Amir. One hitch is that Carlos... Read more »

]]>Our sources (which I trust implicitly) say it’s too early to confirm and there are 2-3 balls in the air.

From our understanding, Doug Smith’s post about Roko & Carlos going to the Bucks for Amir + filler is closer to the truth than a straight up Carlos for Amir. One hitch is that Carlos must agree to at least a 2 year deal for any deal to be done with Milwaukee.

Smith brings up a good point: do you give up on Roko? Could he turn into another Carlos Arroyo?

]]>http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/08/17/developing-who-wants-carlos-delfino/feed/195Morning Coffee Aug 14http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/08/14/morning-coffee-aug-14/
http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/08/14/morning-coffee-aug-14/#commentsFri, 14 Aug 2009 11:37:36 +0000http://raptorsrepublic.com/2009/08/14/morning-coffee-aug-14/NBA.com DeMar DeRozan photo shoot video T.O. Sports With Iavaroni on staff, the Raptors should be better defensively, and when I say ‘better,’ I mean there is a greater chance that they will display a much improved team defense philosophy, in lieu of a couple of lockdown defenders. I have high hopes for the Raptors... Read more »

With Iavaroni on staff, the Raptors should be better defensively, and when I say ‘better,’ I mean there is a greater chance that they will display a much improved team defense philosophy, in lieu of a couple of lockdown defenders.

I have high hopes for the Raptors on the defensive end this year with the addition of Iavaroni and Evans. Any improvement from Bargnani from a rebounding or defensive standpoint will be an added bonus; he’s still young and can improve greatly in those areas.

Mensah-Bonsu was a linchpin of his George Washington University team and, after graduating with a psychology degree, had spells with the Dallas Mavericks before playing in the NBA with San Antonio Spurs.

He now plays in front of a home crowd of 20,000 for Toronto Raptors and is known as "Big Daddy" – his full name is Nana Papa Yaw Dwene Mensah-Bonsu.

He is at the centre of a bidding war between his club and the Houston Rockets in the world’s richest professional sports league, where players earn about £5.5million annually.

Russian runner-up Khimki lost two of its biggest signings from last season. Jorge Garbajosa and Carlos Delfino left the club, each of them for differente reasons. The Spaniard forward at 32 is decided to return to his home country to end his career there and is very likely to sign with Real Madrid in the next few days. The Russian club already found a replacement in Lithuanian Paulius Jankūnas. As for the Argentinian, it was the outcome of a troubled season which included injuries, misunderstandings with the coaching staff, lack of payment and subpar performances. The recent "lack of communication", as mentioned by the player, sealed the fate of the guard. Delfino will now look for a club and returning to the Toronto Raptors is a possibility, while speculations put him in Real Madrid as well.

As a fan, who has seen Bargnani play, up close, 40 times a season over the past 3 years, the “soft” label has been thrown around far too easily and with little regard for just how hard this young man plays. Least anyone forgets, the decidedly not soft Dwight Howard was dominated by Rasho Nesterovic in Toronto during his first 2 seasons (Dwight figured Rasho out in the playoffs, unfortunately). Young big players come into a league and face men on the other side of the ball. Experienced veterans who like nothing more than playing against boys with less experience and no respect from the referees. Toughness comes as much from experience as desire, now going into his 4th season, expect a tougher young center to show up.

Are Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, and Ray Allen better than the Raptors best three? Yes, but they Celtics do not have the depth the Raptors have. Toronto drastically improved their backcourt by adding Hedo Turkoglu, Jarrett Jack, Antoine Wright, DeMar DeRozan, and Marco Belinelli this off-season. The Raptors were supposed to be good last season and will battle Philly for 2nd place in the Atlantic Division this upcoming season.

]]>http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/08/14/morning-coffee-aug-14/feed/33Morning Coffee July 31http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/07/31/morning-coffee-july-31/
http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/07/31/morning-coffee-july-31/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2009 12:01:33 +0000http://raptorsrepublic.com/2009/07/31/morning-coffee-july-31/Globe and Mail The Raptors have about $5.1-million (U.S.) to use before they tip into the dollar-for-dollar luxury-tax threshold and were considering offering a one-year deal to Delfino for something close to that amount, but the acquisition of Belinelli has changed the equation. "The likelihood that he’s going to sign here is less," Raptors president... Read more »

The Raptors have about $5.1-million (U.S.) to use before they tip into the dollar-for-dollar luxury-tax threshold and were considering offering a one-year deal to Delfino for something close to that amount, but the acquisition of Belinelli has changed the equation.

"The likelihood that he’s going to sign here is less," Raptors president Bryan Colangelo said of Delfino. "Not only is he going to be leaving some money on the table in Europe, but one of the things that was attractive about coming here was that he’d have ample opportunity to play and maybe start and that doesn’t appear to be as open now."

Colangelo said there is the possibility of using Delfino in a sign-and-trade if he decides to leave his current team in Russia, but just as likely is that the Raptors won’t make any more significant moves between now and training camp.

"We’ll have a little bit higher intensity, a little bit quicker turnover of players coming in and out of the game," Triano said. "We’ll give everyone a fair chance at camp (in October in Ottawa). Injuries happen throughout the year and you have to be ready to play. I like the fact we have so many diverse players. The biggest thing will be trying to find enough guys the opportunity to stay on the floor."

Belinelli, acquired for forward Devean George and cash, currently is on the Italian national team with Bargnani.

"I won’t read too much into that," Triano said. "I don’t even know if they’re friends. The most important thing is that they’re teammates. It’ll be nice to have someone to talk to and show you where restaurants are, but for the most part we’ve got a great team. They’re all friends by the time the games are over."

"Marco fills a void at the wing position where his shooting and scoring strengths will be needed. Marco’s versatility and playmaking abilities make him a very valuable piece for us,” Bryan Colangelo said in a statement.

Prior to joining the Warriors, the 23 year-old, six-foot-five guard from Bologna played professionally in his native Italy for five seasons. In 33 games during the 2006-07 season with Fortitudo Bologna in Serie A, Belinelli averaged 16.4 points, while shooting .544 (99-for-182) from the field. In 13 Euroleague contests, he averaged 12.9 points on .438 (32-for-73) from the field.

GM Bryan Colangelo pulled off a coup by stealing Turkoglu from the Blazers, but then overpaid Jarrett Jack — something you often have to do in order to lure a restricted free agent. First-round pick DeMar DeRozan excelled in Vegas. If Andrea Bargnani (five-year, $50 million extension) continues to improve, the Raptors could be back in the playoff hunt.

This Raptors team is capable of the best ball movement and unselfish play we have seen for quite some time. The shooting ability of the Italian duo will spread the floor, allowing Chris Bosh and the super-athletic DeMar DeRozan to terrorize the paint.

Calderon has a huge shot, if he stays healthy, of leading the league in assists.

Warrior optimists (do any exist anymore outside the P.R. dept. and the broadcast team?) can point to this trade and say it’s actually just a vote of confidence for Anthony Morrow, who successfully fought Belinelli for minutes last season and is clearly a more valuable (and don’t forget cheaper) alternative. However, if the Raptors have coveted Marco since 2007 — and several reports over the years have said the Raptors have, which makes sense since they covet Euros more than American college girls studying abroad — couldn’t they have done better than George?

The Warriors cleared out some of their backcourt logjam and found an experienced presence to help balance a youth-filled roster, acquiring wing Devean George and money from Toronto on Thursday in exchange for guard Marco Belinelli.

The move acts as a vote of confidence for second-year guard Anthony Morrow, as it should open more minutes for him. The team still has guards Monta Ellis, Stephen Jackson, Stephen Curry, Kelenna Azubuike, Acie Law, Speedy Claxton and possibly restricted free agent C.J. Watson. General manager Larry Riley said he’s not done dealing.

Actually, as an expiring contract, George may have slightly more appeal in that do he doesn’t cost anything. As a chip in a future trade, George might have slightly more value to any team acquiring him as he’s free, his salary paid by the Raptors for the rest of the year. Ok, that’s probably not enough to entice a reluctant team thinking about moving a star for salary relief, but it can’t hurt. He also has slightly more value in that any team holding his expiring deal can sign him to another contract with fewer cap restrictions than they would for Belinelli. Why would this matter? A sign and trade (yes, I wrote it — sign and trade — I’m not proud of it and this is not license for everyone else to jump in with their favorite sign-and-trade Davidson, Watson and change for Dwight Howard) with George could be that tiny bit that makes a deal work. At this point in his career, George might agree for sake of a guaranteed contract for another year, something he might not easily find. It’s unlikely, but it’s not impossible. So relative to Belinelli’s deal, George’s expiring deal is a slightly larger asset, likely inconsequentially so, but, still it exists.

"I feel like Marco wasn’t going to play too much because we’re making the commitment to play Morrow," Warriors General Manager Larry Riley said. "We’re ready to commit to him. … Having known that we were not going to (pick up Belinelli’s option by the Oct. 31 deadline), we decided to take the opportunity to get a player back who maybe can contribute. We thought that was a reasonable way to go."

The Raptors? All six white players on the roster were born outside the US. Is this something we should be concerned with? Do you have to be American-tough to win in the NBA? I used to think that foreign-born players just didn’t have that from the cradle desire to win an NBA championship. I thought that a world championship or Olympic medal was the real prize. I took a closer look at championships of the past decade and winning rosters included names like, Parker, Gasol, Ginoblli, Okur, Oberto and Ukraine’s own Slava Medvedenko. Even the teams that lost in the finals featured guys like, Big Z, Dirk Nowitzki, Varajeo, Vujajic, Turkoglu, Gortat, Pietrus.

Toronto had been trying to land Belinelli for the last year, as Colangelo sought to improve his guard play. That Belinelli was his chief target was, no doubt, down in large part to the influence of Raptors vice-president Maurizio Gherardini, the former Benetton Treviso general manager who is familar with Belinelli’s game from the period when both men were in Lega A. Belinelli spent five years in Italy’s top domestic league with Fortitudo Bologna prior to joining the Warriors. Belinelli will have to wait to meet his new team-mates – with the exception of Bargnani – as he is with Italy at a training camp preparing for the Additional Qualifying Round to EuroBasket 2009 that kicks off on August 5th.

So, with the excitement of the offseason all but done for Raptor fans it’s time we move on to something different, something like an in-depth look at all of the Raptor players. I mean what is more fun that completely over analyzing a player well before he actually does anything? Not much! So today we will start our review of the Raptors roster with a look at our starting point guard, Jose Calderon.

]]>http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/07/31/morning-coffee-july-31/feed/36Morning Coffee July 30http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/07/30/morning-coffee-july-30/
http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/07/30/morning-coffee-july-30/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2009 12:04:09 +0000http://raptorsrepublic.com/2009/07/30/morning-coffee-july-30/Toronto Sun In 2008, Carlo Recalcati, head coach of the Italian national team, said he hoped that Belinelli would get traded from the Golden State Warriors to the Raptors, so he can play alongside Andrea Bargnani. Recalcati believed that Belinelli would thrive playing alongside his national teammate. Toronto Star He has been on Toronto’s radar... Read more »

In 2008, Carlo Recalcati, head coach of the Italian national team, said he hoped that Belinelli would get traded from the Golden State Warriors to the Raptors, so he can play alongside Andrea Bargnani. Recalcati believed that Belinelli would thrive playing alongside his national teammate.

He has been on Toronto’s radar for almost a year. Colangelo almost pulled off a trade to obtain him in the middle of last season but was rebuffed by Golden State management. The 6-foot-5 Italian native is comfortable playing either backcourt position, which fits with Colangelo’s desire to load the roster with players capable of playing more than one position.

Belinelli was the No. 18 pick in the 2007 draft but rarely saw the floor in Golden State, which has a surplus of wing players. But he is only 23 years old, while George will turn 32 next month. The 6-foot-5 Belinelli is considered a promising shooter and scorer and is a favourite of Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo, who has been trying to acquire him. Although healthy, Belinelli played in only 42 of the Warriors’ 82 games last season. When he did play, he averaged 21 minutes, 8.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

Belinelli is likely going to get more of a chance to play in Toronto than he got in Golden State under Don Nelson. Belinelli played sparingly as a rookie, then received inconsistent minutes during an injury-plagued 2008-09. He averaged 13.4 points per game when he got 20 or more minutes, but there were also 15 times when Belinelli took a DNP-CD. Depending on how Toronto’s backcourt shakes out, Belinelli could be in the starting two-guard mix along with Antoine Wright and Jarrett Jack.

With Anthony Parker now in Cleveland, the 6-6 DeRozan will be given a chance to win the starting shooting guard job in training camp; his main competition is newly signed veteran Jarrett Jack, but at 6-3 and more of a point the team would much rather Jack spells Jose Calderon off the bench. DeRozan had a strong showing in Vegas, averaging 17 points (49% FG) and 4.8 boards per and showing some serious hops. He turns just 20 years old next week and clearly has more long-term potential than short, but should make enough of an impact to sneak onto the Second Team.

Perhaps the Raptors choice of loading up on Europeans is the ying to the yang of their MLSE counterpart the Toronto Maple Leafs. Brian Burke has spent all off season unloading anything with a non North American passport and his Basketball counter part Bryan Colangelo has been doing the direct opposite.

Nonetheless I like this move on the surface for both basketball reasons and non basketball reasons. I’ve been fond of Belinelli’s game and actually thought the Raptors might try to acquire him during a draft day trade in 2007. Hopefully his game will blossom under the guise of the Euro-Raptors style. If anything at least Andrea Bargnani now has an Italian running mate to take the pressure off of him from all the Vito’s in Woodbridge who call in the Fan590 .

My oh my. It was a joke that really wasn’t that funny. To tell you the truth it’s a joke that some Warriors fans feel outraged over this trade. It’s meaningless and it’s not going to effect the 2008-2009 Golden State Warriors season one bit. Folks hate it when I say this, but I doubt Belinelli is even in the league in 2 years. Actually scratch that. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Toronto Craptors "braintrust" inked him to a 5 year $50 million extension a la Andrea Bargnani.

We probably have some Raps fans reading and looking for some 4-1-1 on Belinelli’s tenure with the Warriors. Here’s my 20 cents that I detailed earlier:

One of the most unrecognized aspects of Toronto’s offseason has been the fact that the team has shed two of its best perimeter shooters in Anthony Parker and Jason Kapono this summer. While neither one was exactly a make-‘em-when-they’re-needed threat last year, both still demanded attention from defenses and both helped keep the mid-range open for guys like Bosh and Bargnani to operate in.

With both of those players gone, and ostensibly replaced by poor three-point shooters Antoine Wright and DeMar DeRozen, the Raptors were actually looking like a club without an overabundance of long-range bombing. After all, this is a team that still carries the league record for consecutive games with a three-pointer made (859) and has a reputation for stocking their team full of gunners – at times at the expense of guys who will penetrate or draw fouls. Belinelli (along with Turkoglu and Andrea Bargnani) helps keep Toronto’s long-range reputation alive.

My reaction to this is “awesome,” at least until we know more. Even then, I’m pretty sure it’ll be something between that and “good.”

Basically, the Raps trade a guy who was hardly going to play, on the downside of his career, for a 23-year-old who’s shown plenty of promise in the past.

Take a look at that picture above – That’s what Raps fans should (hopefully) get used to seeing. This guy can flat out shoot, and all indications are that he actually wants to use that skill in games (as opposed to Mr. Kapono). He’s also pretty cheap and should be a solid scoring option off the bench. Golden State simply had too many wing players and ball handlers, whereas Toronto certainly has a spot for someone like this.

In today’s NBA economy, especially with Toronto seemingly being the lone bidder for his services, the last thing I wanted to see was a $5 Million deal handed out to Delfino, or any contract that was for over three years. As one of our readers discussed with me over the weekend, we would rather see Toronto pay extra for Carlos provided the club wasn’t handcuffed to yet another long-term deal.

So while I did value Delfino’s return, it was partly based on the lack of other options, and partly dependant on his final contract amount. So if a cheaper alternative presented itself…

In my books that’s exactly what Bryan Colangelo has done here, presented fans with a cheaper, and possibly as productive alternative. Let’s look at some stats.

The 23-year-old guard has, admittedly, had an “average” start to his NBA career. After struggling through his rookie season, Belinelli had a chance to bust out a little bit last year … given the glut of injuries the Warriors were experiencing. He started 23 games for the Bay Area Boys – including an impressive 15-game stretch from mid-December to mid-January where he averaged more than 15 points per game and earned a ton of respect from his teammates.

Speaking about Belinelli back in December 2008, then-teammate Stephen Jackson told the San Francisco Chronicle:

“When (Marco) wasn’t playing, when he said he wanted to be traded and all that stuff, I was like, man, we’re going to lose a good player. He’s a guy that got caught up in a numbers game, and I’ve been through that too. I’m glad he’s taking advantage of his opportunity, because that’s what it’s all about.”

By moving a player that had minimal value to the franchise in George, they were able to obtain a 23-year-old who many predict will have bright future in the NBA. Sure, he only averaged 8.9 points and 2.1 assists per game with the Warriors last season, but Belinelli scored more than 15 points on seven different occasions last season. It’s no coincidence that those scoring outbursts came in games where Don Nelson finally gave the youngster some minutes and freed him from the end of his bench.

As for Toronto, it’s an excellent trade. They basically got a player for nothing, and that player is useful in the present tense and has good potential for the future. Nice get for the Raptors.

Unfortunately, I think Belinelli is a lousy fit in Toronto’s current lineup/roster due to the team’s problems defensively and on the glass, and I think that will limit his immediate impact on the Raptors.

]]>http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/07/30/morning-coffee-july-30/feed/47An Early Look at the 2009-10 Toronto Raptorshttp://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/07/28/an-early-look-at-the-2009-10-toronto-raptors/
http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/07/28/an-early-look-at-the-2009-10-toronto-raptors/#commentsTue, 28 Jul 2009 11:50:28 +0000http://raptorsrepublic.com/?p=9848So the Raptors roster has filled out pretty nicely over the offseason. The team has made several nice additions while losing very few key pieces. However, after an extremely disappointing 2008-09 season, and a few obvious weaknesses still remaining, it is still difficult to tell just how well the Raptors will do in 2009-10. Ranking... Read more »

So the Raptors roster has filled out pretty nicely over the offseason. The team has made several nice additions while losing very few key pieces. However, after an extremely disappointing 2008-09 season, and a few obvious weaknesses still remaining, it is still difficult to tell just how well the Raptors will do in 2009-10.

Ranking the offseason moves of all NBA teams, ESPN’s Chad Ford said of the Raptors, who rank 8th:

Although I don’t think these moves suddenly make the Raptors a serious contender, I do think they’re a playoff team. Given last year’s disaster, that’s pretty significant.

But the term ‘playoff team’ means very little in a top-heavy Eastern Conference. With the power balance shifting from the West to the East this past season (an article for another time, but rest assured it happened), playoff-bound could mean a first round exit for the Raptors. In the East, behind powerhouses like the Celtics, Cavaliers, and Magic, the goal for most teams now appears to be 4th place. Not only does 4th place mean home court advantage in the first round, but it also means missing a first round matchup with either of the three aforementioned Beasts of the East.

So the question for Raps’ fans maybe shouldn’t be about Delfino, DeRozan, or 2010 Chris Bosh. Maybe we, as a collective, should be working to figure out if the 4th seed is a realistic goal for this team.

Considering the changes that accrue for a roster as offseason roster and philosophy changes are made, here is a look at the current roster based on previous performance, with the hope being to shed some light on how the Raptors stack up against the Heat, Wizards, 76ers, Bulls, Hawks, and Pistons (with apologies to those other teams).

Marcus Banks: “Laughin’ Straight to the” Banks’ $4.46M contributions can be summed up in one word: Ugh. I’d be surprised if he gets off the Inactive List this season. Last year he had a 7.83 PER, and he’s never had a PER close to 15.00 (league average). Hey, at least we’re on the hook for another year at that price tag!

Andrea Bargnani: “Il Mago” was paid this offseason. Paid. To the tune of $10M per season. Like I said, paid. Bargnani will make $6.53M this year before that extension kicks in. Last year his PER became razor close to the league average 15.00 (14.66) but things really started to look up in the second half of 2008-09, to the tune of 19.4-5.4-1.7-0.6-1.7 (P-R-A-S-B) with a 49.3% shooting percentage, 45.7% from downtown. Those numbers are mouth-watering and well worth the new price tag if he can pick up his defense and rebounding to any degree at all.

Chris Bosh: Not a lot to say about CB4, but the implicit goal of 2009-10 is to do well enough that Bosh stays for 2010-11 and beyond. He may not be a superstar, but he’s definitely a top-level player. His contract sees him earn $15.78M this year, so he’ll need to repeat his 22.7-10.0 (P-R) and 22.19 PER, but his leadership role and demeanor will be the real attributes tested this season.

Jose Calderon: Jose’s efficiency is something all point guards should strive for – he’s lead the league in assist-to-turnover ratio two years in a row, and he’s developed into one of the league’s deadliest shooters with a 61.3% true shooting percentage. His 18.88 PER is more than fine for his $8.22M contract, and the addition of Jarrett Jack should help ease his workload and keep him on the floor for 82 games.

Quincy Douby: Q-Dubs probably won’t see a lot of run for the Raps this year, barring injuries, but for $0.86M he has potential as an end-of-the-roster fill-in. He’s not very efficient for a scorer (48.6 TSP and 10.26 PER), but he’s a deadly free throw shooter and good enough to score in streaks as a 12th man.

Reggie Evans: Evans is a rebounding machine. He can’t score, he can’t pass, and he doesn’t do enough to keep himself on the floor for long stretches, but he is constantly among the league leaders in Rebounding Rate. He put up 12.7 Rebounds per 40 and grabbed 19% of total rebounds when he was on the floor last year (14th in the league), making him a more-than-serviceable 4th big man for $4.96M.

Devean George: At 31 years old and with declining minutes the past two years, George was really just a salary-match in the Turkoglu sign-and-trade. George scores very little but can add veteran leadership and adequate wing defense if asked to, but it seems more likely he’ll play the Darrick Martin role or be trade bait at $1.60M expiring.

Jarrett Jack: The J-A-Double R-E-Double T (aka Angel) was a bit overpriced at a $4.5M starting salary, but I’m positive he’ll be worth it. He is a great friend of Chris Bosh, a great community member, and a great backup at the one- and two-guard. His PER has never reached the league-average 15.00 but he is a decent shooter, a great free-throw shooter, and a strong two-position defender. His contributions will, strangely, be a byproduct of DeRozan’s, as Jack will spell Calderon at the point and Wright/DeRozan at the two. Regardless of the minutes or the position, Jack is a monster depth addition to a team that sorely needed it.

Patrick O’Bryant: You would think, having been a lottery pick, that Irish Kobe would show some signs of development three years into his career. He really hasn’t, and size appears to be his only discernible ‘skill.’ Patty O is on the books for $1.62M, which can’t even be considered a bargain given that his salary would be better used bought out to clear room under the luxury tax line (or for, say, Notorious PMB aka Prince Daddy Whale Slayer aka Pops Mensah-Bonsu). Like Banks, it would be a surprise to see O’Bryant on the floor much this year.

Hedo (Hidayet) Turkoglu: Turk was the marquee acquisition for the Raptors this offseason, part of a four-team sign-and-trade, and will be the team’s second highest paid player behind Chris Bosh at roughly $10M per season. Turkoglu is a great offensive weapon, though not necessarily an efficient one with a PER of 14.82. For the Raps, though, his key attributes are floor spacing (38.5% career three point shooter), his flare for the crunch time (top-50 in Production per 48 Clutch Time Minutes), and his offensive versatility (a sterling Versatility Index of 7.6 last year). His fit with the team is not being questioned; it’s a question of earning his sizable contract over the long haul and helping move the Raptors from also-ran to contender.

Roko Ukic: Roko Leni Loco appears to be an odd man out this year. Like Banks and O’Bryant, it appears he’ll be a member of the Inactive All-Stars, the D-League, or another franchise. Ukic struggled mightily last year, thrust into a back-up role after Wo-So (In Case Y’Aint Know So) ate it and was shipped out, and didn’t look a great deal better in Summer League. Colangelo has agreed to look for a new home for him, otherwise, Roko is a $1.35M trade chip (he has a player option at $1.45M he may decline to return to Europe).

Antoine Wright: Wright was acquired in the Turkoglu deal. While he was perceived to be a throw-in, he’s a huge grab for the defensively challenged Raptors, as he can guard three positions and isn’t an offensive liability. At $2.11M expiring, Wright will be a huge part of the team as DeRozan insurance, a defensive stopper, and/or trade bait.

Rasho Nesterovic: Arsenalist did a great job summing up Rasho’s role on this team. His personality and leadership cannot be understated, and that goes double for his unintentional comedy. As the team’s 3rd or 4th big man, The Slovenian Superman is a great value at $1.9M, a necessary defensive and rebounding presence, and a lovable goofy white guy on the team that may soon be named Bosh and the Lovable Goofy White Guys.

The 15th Man: Contract or not, I’m just going to assume this is Carlos Delfino. Livin’ Good ‘Loso probably isn’t worth the $4M or $5M he’s asking for, but with the Raptors technically unable to spend that money elsewhere it makes sense to give it to him in a short-term contract. Delfino is versatile on offense and defense, continues the theme of floor-spacers who can create their own shot, and has hopefully been humbled by an unhappy year in Russia to the point of being coachable for Jay Triano.

The overall theme here is that the Raptors project as a much better team than last year. While they haven’t managed to cover up any of their defensive problems from last season….well, y’kno, sometimes guys like a girl with a fat ass. More cushion for the pushin’, after all. If that lost you – point is, it’s okay to be optimistic about a team with obvious flaws, especially when the unspoken goal is the 4th seed in the East.

The difference between 4th and 8th in the conference won’t be an extra player or a D-League find. More than likely, the onus falls to Jay Triano to get the most out of a 10-man rotation that is long on depth but short on a clear playing time hierarchy.